Falcao will cost Chelsea or Manchester City £100m but the Atletico Madrid striker is worth every penny

There seems permanently to be a shadow hanging over someone at Stamford
Bridge. Jose Mourinho’s presence loomed above Chelsea’s dugout long after he
had actually departed, only to be replaced over this past year by Pep
Guardiola.

In fine form: with 14 goals in 13 matches so far this season for Atletico Madrid, Falcao goes into Saturday's derby against Real boasting a better strike rate than Cristiano RonaldoPhoto: AP

By Jeremy Wilson and Pete Jenson

10:06PM GMT 30 Nov 2012

On the pitch just now, it is no different. As every match passes without Fernando Torres scoring, the spectre of Radamel Falcao moves into sharper focus.

With 14 goals in 13 matches so far this season for Atletico Madrid, Falcao goes into Saturday’s derby against Real boasting a better strike rate than Cristiano Ronaldo and playing for the team who are presenting Barcelona with their biggest domestic threat.

On form, comparisons with Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have become increasingly legitimate.

For Chelsea and Manchester City, the allure only deepens at the knowledge that Falcao is almost certainly available, perhaps in January but more likely at the end of the season, for anyone willing to pay a release clause of £48 million.

Add on wage demands that are likely to exceed £200,000 a week and the £100 million question for Roman Abramovich and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan, two owners whose fingers have already been burnt in the transfer market, is whether Falcao is really worth it.

Yet from Colombia to Spain, via Portugal and Argentina, those who have worked closest with him are convinced.

Diego Simeone, who has managed Falcao at River Plate and now Atletico, predicts that he will become, quite simply, the “best in the world”.

Why? “Because he will keep on improving,” says Simeone. “He has an intuition and a level of accuracy in front of goal that I have only ever seen in Hugo Sanchez but he is a more complete player. I am convinced he will become the best in his position.”

Diego Godin, a team-mate at Atletico, believes that he already has the edge over Ronaldo. “He is a penalty box player but he can also play with his back to goal and hold the ball up,” says Godin. “He moves intelligently without the ball but, as a goal scorer, he is incredible. Cristiano is a little bit more predictable. I think he is just a notch below Falcao.”

His temperament, especially a down-to-earth modesty, is also contrasted with Ronaldo. Jorge Lopez, a journalist for Diario Olé who got to know Falcao during his four years at River Plate, describes him as the antipathy of many modern players. “He’s an anti-hero in the sense that he is nothing like Cristiano Ronaldo,” he says. “He is a very religious man; a devout believer who tries to remain very humble despite the fame and fortune now coming his way.

"But he’s tough – he learnt to be tough at River both on the pitch where he got kicked all over the place as soon as defences realised how good he was, and also off the pitch where he was a young kid away from home.”

Between City and Chelsea just now, there can be little doubt whose need is the greatest. And, among those who know Falcao best, there is the instinctive sense that he would fit ideally into the more fluid and creative style that Abramovich apparently craves.

Eduardo Lara gave Falcao his international debut for the Colombia Under-17 team and believes that he would also maximise the potential of Chelsea’s other recent acquisitions.

“The special thing about him is that combines that brilliant finishing with such a great touch,” said Lara. “He can drop back into midfield and play with players like Eden Hazard, Juan Mata and Oscar. He is lethal in front of goal and has the touch of a cultured midfield player.

“I have no doubt at all that Falcao would fit into that team and that Rafa Benítez would get the best out of him. When you have a player that talented you know that based on ability he will fit in anywhere so it becomes down to character and he has the character to go to another country and be a success.

"He has already shown it in Argentina, Portugal and Spain and, if he goes to London, he will demonstrate it again without any problem.”

A particularly telling comparison is also drawn by Gregorio Manzano, who has managed both Torres and Falcao at Atletico. “You look at how good he [Falcao] is now and think how much better he would be with the best players around him,” says Manzano. “There would be no problem adapting to a style where he had to work as a lone striker. In terms of coping with the physical demands of the Premier League he definitely has the strength.”

Intriguingly, Manzano describes Torres as a “confidence player” and is also certain that he will eventually revive his career. But, as Abramovich considers the gamble of breaking the British transfer record for the third time on a striker, there is specific reassurance about Falcao’s psychological ability to deal with the pressure of such a move. “He shows that mental toughness in finals,” said Manzano.

“Think about the Europa League final with Porto, the Europa League final with Atletico Madrid against Athletic Bilbao and the Super Cup win over Chelsea.

“You need enormous mental strength to play those type of games the way he does as if they were just another match. Whoever signs Falcao will have made the right decision. He is as close to a safe bet as you can have.”